About Example Café
Example Café opened on Totnes high street in 2016, in a small unit that had stood empty for over a year. We wanted somewhere that felt like a proper local café rather than a chain, with food made on site and coffee taken seriously without being precious about it.
The café started with just two of us behind the counter and a menu written on a chalkboard that changed more often than we'd like to admit while we worked out what people actually wanted. Nearly a decade on, the chalkboard is still there, though the menu has settled into something closer to a routine, with room for seasonal changes throughout the year.
We buy as much as we reasonably can from suppliers within Devon, from the bread and bacon on our breakfast plates to the vegetables in our soups and salads. It costs more than buying everything from a single wholesaler, but it means we know where our food comes from and can talk to customers about it honestly.
Most of our team live within walking distance of the café and a few started as regular customers before asking if we were hiring. That local connection matters to us and it's part of why the café still feels the way it did when we first opened.
What you can expect from us
Made from scratch
Everything we serve is prepared in our own kitchen, from the bread to the cakes, rather than bought in ready made.
Locally sourced
We buy from Devon suppliers wherever we can, even where it costs a little more than the alternative.
Genuinely welcoming
We want the café to feel like somewhere you can relax, for five minutes or for the whole afternoon.